ai4bharat/Pralekha huggingface dataset:
Ministry of Railways
Indian Railways crosses the mark of 500 MT freight loading on cumulative basis in first four months of this Financial Year
Railways earns Rs 13,578Crores from Freight loading in July 2023
Freight Earnings increases by 3% as compared to the same period of last year
Railways achieves Freight Loading of 123.98MT in July 2023, an improvement of 2% over last year freight loading 122.15MT for the same period
Indian Railways  has crossed the mark of 500 MT freight loading on cumulative basis,yet again, in first 4 monthsof this Financial Year. From April-July 2023, freight loading of 507.7 MT has been achieved against the last year loading of 501.55 MT, an improvement of 1.23% over last year loading. Railways have earned Rs 55459 crore against Rs 53731 crore over the last year which is an improvement of 3.22% as compared to the same period last year.
From April-July 2023, on cumulative basis, IR’s total earning has been approximately Rs. 80869 Cr.  against Rs 75847 Cr. over the last year which is an improvement of 6.62% as compared to the same period last year.
During the month of July 2023, originating freight loading of 123.98MT has been achieved against loading of 122.15MT in July 2022, which is an improvement of approx 1.5% over the last year. Freight revenue of Rs. 13,578Crhave been achieved in July 2023 against Rs 13,163 Cr freight earnings in July 2022, thereby an improvement of about 3% over last year.
Following the Mantra, “Hungry For Cargo”, IR has made sustained efforts to improve the ease of doing business as well as improve the service delivery at competitive prices. The customer centric approach and work of Business Development Units backed up by agile policy making helped Railways towards this significant achievement.
Department of Atomic Energy
Plan to make use of Nuclear Wastes
India has adopted “closed fuel cycle”, where spent nuclear fuel is regarded as a material of resource. Closed fuel cycle aims at reprocessing of spent fuel for recovery of Uranium and Plutonium and recycling them back to reactor as fuel. This finally leads to a very small percentage of residual material present in spent nuclear fuel requiring their management as radioactive waste.
Safe management of radioactive waste has been accorded high priority right from the inception of our nuclear energy programme. High level radioactive waste also contains many useful isotopes like Caesium-137, Strontium-90, Ruthenium-106 etc. With the advent of new technologies based on partitioning of waste, emphasis is accorded to separation and recovery of these useful radio-isotopes so as to make use of the waste for various societal applications.
Initiatives/advancements w.r.t. partitioning of the waste have been implemented safely and successfully enabling recovery of useful radio- isotopes like Caesium-137, Strontium-90, Ruthenium-106 etc. and their deployment for societal applications. Utmost emphasis is given to waste volume minimization, effective containment and isolation of radio-activity followed by near zero discharge of radioactivity to the environment. As a waste management philosophy, no waste in any physical form is released / disposed to the environment unless the same is cleared, exempted or excluded from regulations. A comprehensive radioactive waste management is established taking into account the operational capability for the management of radioactive waste and an independent regulatory capability for its overview. The nuclear waste management practices are at par with international practices following the guidelines of International Atomic Energy Agency.
This information was provided by the Union Minister of State  Development of North-Eastern Region , MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh in written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha today.
Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment
District Disability Rehabilitation centres  were inaugurated by Dr. Virendra Kumar Union Minister of Social Justice & Empowerment
District Disability Rehabilitation centres  spread across the country are providing effective rehabilitation services to the persons with disabilities for last two decades. These centres are run jointly by District Management Team headed by DM/Collector and a reputed NGO . To upscale their services, a MODEL DDRC has been conceptualised by the Department of Empowerment of Persons With Disability in the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment Government of India.
Nine such model DDRCs, namely- Badaun, Pilibhit, Barielly, Balaghat, Golaghat, Ahmedabad, Amravati , Kullu and Rampur have been upgraded to MODEL DDRC level in the first phase and these 09 model DDRCs were virtually inaugurated by Dr. Virendra Kumar, Minister of Social Justice & Empowerment, Government of India.
During the event, Various state and district officials, MLAs & MPs joined the inauguration at respective DDRC venue. Officials highlighted the excellent efforts done by them in making the existing DDRCs as MODEL DDRCs. Various photographs of upgraded DDRC were also shown during the virtual inauguration.
On the occasion, Dr. Virendra Kumar interacted with all model DDRCs and also highlighted the suitable changes made in DDRC scheme guidelines to make it more refined and adaptable-like, number of posts have been increased from existing 12 to 15, proximity of new DDRCs near District Hospital or District early intervention centre, now consultants can be hired on call basis and process of grant release has been simplified.
In the model DDRCs services like hearing aids test lab, speech therapy room, visual therapy room, psychologist room, physiotherapist room, gait practice parallel bar and tele-medicine/tele-therapy like facilities hsall be available. Besides, these DDRC will also assist PwDs in registration of UDID portal now. These DDRC will act as milestone in providing quality rehabilitation services to PwDs and set an example for newer DDRCs to come in future.
Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
ZSI Scientists Discover a New Kind of Eel from Petuaghat Fishing Harbour, WB
Kolkata, July 13, 2022
Scientists and research scholars of the Zoological Survey of India  have discovered a new eel species based on two specimens collected from Petuaghat fishing harbour, Purba Medinipur, West Bengal. The new species has been termed as Bengal conger, stated Dr Dhriti Banerjee, Director, ZSI. The species belong to the family congridae and order Anguilliformes. The recently discovered species has been named as Ariosoma Bengalense in the name of collection locality. The species is distributed in the northern part of Bay of Bengal. The colour of the species is brown. The species has larger eyes in comparison to the similar congeners. The species has total vertebrae 146-149. Both supratemporal pores and myorhabdoi absent in the new species. The species has a total length 316-304mm.
The scientists and research scholars who were involved in this finding included different institutions from West Bengal as well as ZSI, Odisha. The Educational institutions included Bajkul Milani Mahavidyalaya, Jhargram Raj College, Estuarine Biology Regional Centre, ZSI, Gopalpur on sea, Odisha.
According to Dr Anil Mohapatra, Scientist, Estuarine Biology Regional Centre, ZSI, Gopalpur on sea, Odisha, two specimens were collected from the Petuaghat fishing harbour, West Bengal along the Bay of Bengal, India via a boat operating a trawl net at a depth of 168 m. The specimens were measured, photographed and deposited in the Museum of Estuarine Biology Regional Centre, Zoological Survey of India, Gopalpur-on-Sea . The terminology, counts and measurements follow Böhlke . Head pores and teeth were counted using a Leica EZ4 microscope. Morphometrics were made with digital calipers and recorded to the nearest 0.1 mm. Vertebrae were counted by means of digital radiograph.
This species is currently known from the northern part of the Bay of Bengal , India, 197 km away from the Deshpran fishing harbor, at a depth of 168 m , within the Exclusive Economic Zone of India.
The new species differs from four of the seven species reported from India: Ariosoma majus, A. melanospilos, A. maurostigma and A. indicum with absence of supratemporal pores vs. three in all the species mentioned.
While collecting Eel samples from the East coast of India, the scientists collected two specimens of the genus Ariosoma from the Petuaghat fishing harbour, West Bengal and while identifying those specimens it was found to be an undescribed species. Herein, the scientists described the new species of the genus Ariosoma on the basis of two specimens collected from the northern part of the Bay of Bengal, India.
The discovery got a good mileage as the story has been published in Zootaxa, published by Magnolia Press, New Zealand recently.
Ministry of Commerce & Industry
India ranks63 in World Bank’s Doing Business Report
India improves rank by 14 positions
The World Bank released its latest Doing Business Report todayon24th October 2019. India has recorded a jump of 14 positions against its rank of 77 in 2019to be placed now at 63rdrank among 190 countries assessed by the World Bank. India'sleap of14 ranks in the Ease of Doing Business ranking is significant considering that there has been continuous improvement since 2015 and for the third consecutive year India is amongst the top 10 improvers.As a result of continued efforts by the Government, India has improved its rank by 79positions in last five years [2014-19].
The Doing Business assessment provides objective measures of business regulations and their enforcement across 190 economies on ten parameters affecting a business through its life cycle. The DBR ranks countries on the basis of Distance to Frontier , a score that shows the gap of aneconomy to the global best practice. This year, India’s DTF score improved to 71.0 from 67.23 in the previous year.
India has improved its rank in 7 out of 10 indicators and has moved closer to international best practices .Significant improvements have been registered in ‘Resolving Insolvency’, 'Dealing with Construction Permits', ‘Registering Property’, ‘Trading across Boards’ and ‘Paying Taxes’ indicators.The changes in sevenindicators where India improved its rank are as follows:
|
|
S. No.
|
|
Indicator
|
|
2018
|
|
2019
|
|
Change
|
|
1
|
|
Resolving Insolvency
|
|
108
|
|
52
|
|
+56
|
|
2
|
|
Construction Permits
|
|
52
|
|
27
|
|
+25
|
|
3
|
|
Trading Across Borders
|
|
80
|
|
68
|
|
+12
|
|
4
|
|
Registering Property
|
|
166
|
|
154
|
|
+12
|
|
5
|
|
Paying Taxes
|
|
121
|
|
115
|
|
+6
|
|
6
|
|
Getting Electricity
|
|
24
|
|
22
|
|
+2
|
|
7
|
|
Starting a Business
|
|
137
|
|
136
|
|
+1
|
|
Overall rank
|
|
77
|
|
63
|
|
+14
The important features of India's performance this year are:
- The World Bank has recognized India as one of the top 10 improvers for the third consecutive year.
- Recovery rate under resolving insolvency has improved significantly from 26.5% to 71.6%.
- The time taken for resolving insolvency has also come down significantly from 4.3 years to 1.6 years.
- India continues to maintain its first position among South Asian countries. It was 6th in 2014.
Ministry of Women and Child Development
NATIONAL CRÈCHE SCHEME
Ministry of Women and Child Development is implementing the National Creche Scheme for Children of Working Mothers as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme through States/UTs with effect from 01.01.2017 to provide day care facilities to children  of working mothers.
Study of the National Creche Scheme for Children of Working Mothers has been conducted by NITI Ayog in 2020 as part of third party evaluation of this scheme, which recommended to increase the coverage of creches. plug infrastructural gaps and enhance community participation alongwith addressing local needs, The Ayog also recommended measures such as training of creche workers and helper; and revision of cost norms,
Besides, as per the guidelines of the National Creche Scheme for Children of Working Mothers. States and LiTs are required to analyse the requirement of creche services at the district level through survey and mapping of the existing creches. Further, baseline surveys are also conducted by State Governments to ascertain the requirement, willingness of working mothers and children for this purpose. The norms for registration. establishment and maintenance of the creches. including in matters of hygiene. first-aid. breastfeeding and nutrition, have been stipulated under the scheme guidelines.
The number of functional creches in the country under the National Crehce Scheme for Children of Working Mothers' during the last three years, that is, 201718, 2018-19 and 2019-20 was 18040, 8018 and 6458 respectively. Creches are not functional in the country since the outbreak of Coved-19 to prevent spread of tie pandemic.
This information was given by the Union Minister of Women and Child Development, Smt. Smriti Zubin Irani, in a written reply in Rajya Sabha today.
Ministry of Railways
Cabinet approves Payment of PLB to railway employees for the FY 2018-19
The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved the payment of Productivity Linked Bonus  equivalent to 78 days wages to over 11.52 Lakh eligible non-gazetted railway employees  for the Financial Year  2018-19, for maintaining industrial peace and motivation of railwaymen. This entails an expenditure of Rs. 2024.40 crores to the exchequer.
This is the sixth consecutive year that the Government led by Mr Narendra Modi has maintained a bonus of 78 days wages. It has never lowered it.
Benefits:
Payment of PLB equivalent to 78 days wages to eligible railway employees  for the FY 2018-19 would result in motivating a large number of railway employees to improve the performance of the Railways and enhance the productivity levels further, besides maintaining industrial peace.
PLB to all non-gazetted railway employees is an acknowledgement of their contribution to the efficient running of the Railways.
There being large number of railwaymen and their families, this acknowledgement will enhance the sense of inclusiveness and equity among them.
PIB Headquarters
FTII TO CONDUCT 'ADMISSIONS 2019' SEMINAR IN AHMEDABAD IN ASSOCIATION WITH AMA .
Here is good news for those in Gujarat who are interested in Film and Television education!
Film and Television Institute of India  Pune will be holding an Admission Seminar in Ahmedabad for the benefit of those planning to take the forthcoming Joint Entrance Test  for admissions to Film and Television Institute of India and Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute  Kolkata. Both institutions are under Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Govt of India.
JET will be conducted on 24.02.19.
Questions pertaining to education at FTII as well as the JET admission process will be addressed in the Seminar. No prior registration is required to attend the Seminar; it is open to all.
The Seminar,being organised by FTII in collaboration with the reputed Ahmedabad Management Association , will be conducted by Prof. G B Singh, Dept of TV Engg along with a senior FTII alumnus as per details below :
Date & Time :
10 am-12 noon, Sunday, 20th January 2019
Venue :
AMA Seminar Hall,
AMA Complex,
ATIRA Campus,
Dr Vikram Sarabhai Marg,
Near. IIM-A,
Vastrapur,
Ahmedabad 380015
To reach out to more aspirants across the country, Admission Seminars have already been held in Pune, Mumbai, Jaipur, Banasthali Vidyapeeth, Nagpur, Delhi. Similar seminars will be organised in Lucknow,Jammu, Bhopal, Dehradun, Patna and Chandigarh.
Admissions for academic year 2019 for full time courses at FTII and SRFTI were declared open on 30th December 2018 with the activation of JET portal. This is the second consecutive year that FTII and SRFTI will be conducting the entrance test jointly.
Candidates desirous of seeking admission to FTII & SRFTI need to go through a multi-stage selection process. The first stage in this selection process is the All India level written examination called Joint Entrance Test slated on 24.02.19
JET 2019 will be a written test of three hours duration consisting of objective type and descriptive questions and will be conducted in 26 centres across India.
Based on the JET 2019 score of the candidates, FTII and SRFTI will send call letters to the candidates for the Second stage of the selection process and thereafter, on successful accomplishment of all the requisites, finally admit students in their full time regular programmes for the academic year 2019.
The fees to be paid for JET in 2019 has been kept the same as in 2018.The registration fees, to be paid online, is ₹1250 for SC, ST and PwD category candidates & ₹4000 for all other categories of candidates. For the courses which are offered by both Institutes, a candidate needs to pay registration fee only once, and he/she will be considered for admission to both Institutes.
Candidates can apply online at
https://applyadmission.net/jet2019/ .
The last date for applying online is 31.01.2019.
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Ministry of Railways
19.56% GROWTH IN FREIGHT LOADING BY SER
Kolkata, November 11, 2021
South Eastern Railway  has loaded 110.69 Million Tonnes of originating freight in the first seven months i.e. April to October of the current financial year , as against 92.58 Million Tonnes loaded in the corresponding period of last year, registering a growth of 19.56%.
There is also a rise of 24.52% in originating freight revenue in comparison to the first seven months of the last fiscal. During April to October 2021, the revenue generated from originating freight loading was Rs 9106.35 crore against Rs. 7313.38 crore in the same period of the previous year.
The main commodities of Freight loading during the first seven months of 2021-22 were Iron ore, Coal, Pig iron & Finished Steel, Cement, Fertilizer, Petroleum Products etc. SER has loaded 61.61 Million Tonnes of Iron ore during this period, which is 9% more than the corresponding period of previous fiscal.
Special Service and Features
State Level Co-ordinator  for Oil Industry in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry on Retail Outlet Dealer Selection
BPCL, HPCL, and IOCL, the leading PSU Oil Marketing Companies , are pleased to announce the release of advertisements for the establishment of new retail outlets across the country. The advertisements aim to meet the growing demand for petrol and diesel in line with the country's fast-growing economy.
The demand for Retail sales of Petrol and Diesel is increasing over the years. With the country's economy experiencing significant development, the need for energy has increased manifold. As a result, OMCs are undertaking the expansion of their retail outlet network to cater to this rising demand. The expansion will cater to emerging markets such as urban areas, upcoming highways, agricultural pockets, rural, remote, and far-flung areas. This expansion aims to ensure that quality petroleum products, are readily available to meet the agricultural demand of rural areas and serve the needs of people residing in remote regions.
The expansion of the retail outlet network not only addresses the growing energy needs but also creates employment opportunities. Entrepreneurs are encouraged to seize this chance to associate with Fortune 500 companies and establish successful ventures in the retail outlet dealership sector. Due to economic development in the country, land has become scarce, costly and also opened up new opportunities for the landowners to utilize such land for alternate purposes, including the dealership of OMCs. The last advertisement for setting up of Retail outlets  was issued by PSU Oil Marketing Companies  in the year 2018. Oil Marketing Companies have now issued advertisements inviting applications from prospective candidates for setting up of Petrol pumps.
To simplify the dealer selection process and align with the government's emphasis on ease of doing business, the OMCs have introduced user-friendly online applications and simplified application forms. While availability of suitable land at the advertised location/stretch is crucial, applicants for SC/ST locations can still apply without land initially, but are expected to offer land when called for. The selection process will involve a computerized draw of lots or bid opening conducted by an independent agency to enhance transparency.
All retail outlets will be developed using the latest technology, including automation. The dealership of retail outlets is seen as a significant opportunity for entrepreneurs to associate with Fortune 500 companies. Interested entrepreneurs may see the detailed advertisement and Brochure available in our website www.petrolpumpdealerchayan.in
Cabinet
Cabinet approves allotment of land for the construction of Ceremonial Lounge at Tirupati Airport
The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved the allotment of 1800 sqm of Airports Authority of India's land to Andhra Pradesh Education and Welfare Infrastructure Development Corporation for a period of 15 years at a nominal rate of license fee of Re. 1/- per annum, for the construction of Ceremonial Lounge at Tirupati Airport.
Benefits:
Tirupati being abode of Lord Shri Venkateswara is frequently visited by VVIPs / VIPs.Construction of a Ceremonial Lounge will offer better amenities to the visitors. The Ceremonial Lounge will be maintained by APEWIDC.
Ministry of Information & Broadcasting
Mutual understanding and trust are India’s strength: ADG , Ministry of Information & Broadcasting
Webinar on Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat organized today
Chandigarh, October 29, 2020
Mutual understanding and trust is India’s strength and all citizens should feel culturally integrated in all corners of India said Smt. Devpreet Singh, Additional Director General , Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Government of India. Welcoming the participants, Smt. Singh said that the role of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel in unification of the country was of tremendous importance, which can be called a precursor to Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat.
Shri S. Venkateswar, Director General , Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Government of India said that both Haryana and Telangana have a huge and vibrant past. He mentioned about the similarities between the two states and discussed about the cultural milieu of Telangana.
Shri Mamidi Hari Krishna Garu, Director, Department of Culture, Government of Telangana dwelled on the various historical aspects of the state since ancient times leading to its rich and vibrant culture. He further elaborated upon the state festivals like Bonalu and Bathukammawhich celebratethespirit of womanhood.He said various exchange programmes like Kavi Sammelan etc. between Haryana and Telangana were organised under aegis of Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat programme of Government of India.
Dr. Harvinder Rana, Cultural Supervisor, Kurukshetra University, Haryanaexplained about the different forms of folk songs and folk theatre like Saang, Jangam Jogi, Gugga prevalent in state of Haryana. He informed the participants about different festivals of Haryana and its association with day-to-day life of the people.
Dr. Jagbir Rathee, Director, Youth Welfare, Maharshi Dayanand University, Rohtak said the economy of Haryana is mostly agriculture based. He traced the development history of the Saang theatre form of Haryana. He appreciated the “Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat” programme’s role in promoting cross cultural exchanges between two states and said that foods festivals could help in creating further avenues for cultural exchange.
Smt. Shruti Patil,Director, RoB, Hyderabad and Shri Anuj Chandak, Deputy Director, Regional Outreach Bureau , Chandigarh moderated the webinar. The session concluded with Shri Himanshu Pathak, Assistant Director, PIB, Chandigarh presenting a vote of thanks to all the participants. Officials of Ministry of Information & Broadcasting from Chandigarh and Telangana also participated in the webinar.
The webinar on “Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat” with focus on paired states of Haryana and Telanganawas organized today by PIB & ROB Chandigarh & Hyderabad.